Trent Franks still a factor in race to replace him

Rep. Trent Franks resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment. But that hasn’t stopped him from being a factor in the race for his seat.

Republican strategists say the former congressman is still well-liked among GOP voters in Arizona’s 8th District, which could explain why he hasn’t disappeared from the race to replace him. Franks appeared briefly in an ad for one of the candidates as voters head to the polls next Tuesday in the primary election to replace him.

“This is one of those issues where I feel like the intelligentsia in Washington can’t figure out why this is happening,” Arizona GOP consultant Chris DeRose said.

DeRose, who is not working with any of the candidates, said GOP voters have not rejected Franks, despite the allegations that he repeatedly asked female staffers to carry his child as a surrogate. One of the staffers said Franks offered her $5 million to be a surrogate, according to The Associated Press.

“Prior to that, he’d been building a relationship with that district for 20 years. So people still think very well of him there,” DeRose said. “And so … it was a no-brainer seeking and using Trent Franks’ endorsements.”